Charging mechanism for blast-furnaces.



No. 790.2%1# l PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

f D. BAKER. f

- GHARGING' MEGHANISM 'EUR BLAST vTFURNAGES.

I APPLICATION ILBD HAY 3, 1904. 4

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. v.

MLM ff I PATENTED MAY 23, 1905.

D. BAKER. GHARGING- MBCHANISM POR BLASTURNACES- APPLIOATIN FILED MAY 3, 1904.

s snmp-SHEET a.

' witness@ UNITED STATES` Patented May 23, 1905.

.PATENT OFFICE.

CHARGING IVIECHANISM FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,271, dated May 23,1905.

Appiicationiiied May s, 1904.. serial No. 206,195.

.composing the charge with the aim of reducing breakage to a minimum, to facilitate the uniform distribution of the materials in the furnace, and generally to render the operation of the charging mechanism uniform and effective.

With these ends in view my invention consists, first, 1n combining with a way or track 'leading from the ground-level to the top of the furnace and a skip car or carrier traveling on said track and adapted to receive the'charging materials a plurality of stations or charging-points along said tracks, to which stations the skip-cars may be brought to receive the different materials-such, for instance, as

`coke, limestone, ore, Sac-directly from the Icoke-ovens and crushing-mills, respectively; second, in constructing the track or way where it passes the charging-stations at a slight inclination or nearly horizontal, so that the car 'may be stopped at the several stations and started without undue shocks and without undue exertion of power in initiating its ascent; third, in an improved arrangement of hoisting-cables and the manner of connecting the 'same with the skip-car in order to equalize the strain on the operating mechanism and to insure uniform travel of the car; fourth, in improved means for discharging the contents of the skip-car vertically downward into the receiving-hopper of the furnace; fifth, in various details of construction and combination of parts `hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the upper portion of a blast-furnace having my invention embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken at right angles to Fig. 1 as viewed in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a view iii the nature of,a diagram, showing the relation of the elevating-track to the furnace and the charging-stations at the lower end of the track. Fig, t is a plan view showing the manner of connecting the hoisting-cables with the car.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a blast-furnace having at its upper end a receiving-liopper 2, over which is disposed a hood or cover 3, provided witha reduced centrally-arranged receiving-tliroat '4., having horizontal guideways 6, iii which is mounted to slide back and forth a plate 7, constituting a gas-seal, the lower end of the hopper 2 being normally closed by means of a bell 8 of the usual and ordinary construction. y

The gasseal 7 is in the present instance operated by a piston 9 in a cylinder 10, while the bell 8 is suspended byl rods or hangers 11 from a pair of operating-levers 12, pivoted at 13 in bearings 14 on a'superstructure or frame 15 on the top of the furnace, the adjacent ends of the levers being formed with intermeshing segmental gear-teeth 16, whereby they are connected for positive, uniform, and simultaneous movement inthe actuation of the bell. To the outer end of one of the levers is jointed the upper end of a piston-rod 17, which rod is connected with a piston 18 in a cylinder 19, pivoted to the top of the furnace, as at 19X. The outer end of the other lever has connected with it a counterbalancing-weight 21. The movements of the gas-seal 7 and the bell 8 are so timed and controlled that when one is open the other will be closed, and vice versa, thereby preventing the escape of gas from the furnace in the operation of charging the same.

Leading from a pit A somewhat below the ground-level is a track or way 22, which eX- tends to the top of the'furnace and which at its upper and lower ends, respectively, at the top of the furnace and in the pit, gradually merges into substantially horizontal portions 23 and 24, respectively, there being arranged for travel on this track a hoisting-car or skip 25, adapted to convey material to the top of the furnace for discharge into the same. This car has pivotally mounted thereon by means of horizontal trunnions 26, journaled in bearings 27,a charging bucket or receptacle 28, the lower end of the receptacle being nor- IOO mally closed by means of a bell 29, from the apex of which rises a rod 30, pivotally connected at its upper end to one end of a supporting-lever 31, which lever is pivoted in bearings on the upper end of the bucket and which lever has on its outer end a counterweight 32, serving to maintain the bell in normal closed position.

Depending from the top beam 15 of the superstructure is an arm 33, having journaled on its lower end a roller 34, constituting an abutment which when the skip-car comes to position at the top of the furnace overrides and depresses lever 31, thereby positively lowering the bell 29 and opening the bucket, whereupon its contents are discharged into the hopper. It will be observed that when in its discharging position the charging-bucket is directly over the apex of the bell 8, the result being that the contents of the bucket striking the apex of the bell is evenly and uniformly distributed around the periphery of the same.

The skip-car is operated in its movements on the track by a pair of cables 35, passing over guide-pulleys 36, mounted on the superstructure, and thence to a winding-drum 37, operated by a suitable motor 38, the opposite ends of the cables being connected, respectively, to the ends of a horizontal equalizingbar B, pivoted at its center on a vertical axis C tothe rear end of the car, the purposes of which construction is to equalize the strains on the cable and operating mechanism and insure a uniform movement of the car.

The ingredients composing the charges are conveyed from the coke-ovens and crushinging-mills (not shown) to charging points or stations D D at different points :long the track 22 through the medium of the usual dummy-cars or lorries 39 and 40, traveling on tracks or ways 41 and 4:2, respectively, and these materials are discharged from the larries directly into the skip-bucket for transportation to the top of thefurnaee, the slight inclination of the track at these stations enabling the car to be stopped and started without undue shocks or waste of power. This I deem an important feature of my invention, in that it enables the charging materials to be introduced into the furnace with' a minimum degree of handling, whereby there is little or no liability of breakage which would otherwise result. The construction is to loe distinguished from those providing for the storage of the different materials in bins from which they are subsequently loaded into the car, in which-case the frequent handling results in the breakage of the material and extra amount of labor and expense. By my system the car may be stopped at one station to receive the materialsay coke-di rect from the coke-ovens, and then at another station to receive another materialnsay lime or ore-di rect from the crushing-mills, the essence of the invention in this respect residing ina phirality of stations or charging-points to which dilferent materials composing the charge iiiay be directly conveyed in combination with a single track oi' way passing by said stations on which is adapted to travel a carto receive the materials from one or the other of said stations.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In combination with a furnace, a track leading to the top of the same, a car traveling on said track and adapted to receive the materials to be charged into the furnace, a plurality of charging-stations at the lower end of the track, a source of supply for said charging-stations, and means for conveying the inaterials from said source of supply to the stations and charging them directly into the car.

2. In combination with a furnace, a track leading to the top of the saine, a car to receive the charging materials and adapted to travel on said track, a plurality of charging-stations arranged at intervals along the lower end of the track, sources of supply for said stations respectively, and means for conveying the inaterials from said sources of supply to the stations and charging them directly into the car.

3. In combination with a furnace, a track leading to the top of the same with its lower end at a slight inclination nearly horizontal, a car adapted to travel on said track, operating means for the car, a plurality of charging-stations arranged at intervals along the lower end of the track, sources of supply for said stations respectively, and means for conveying materials to be charged from the sources of supply to the stations and charging them directly into the car.

LI. The combination with a furnace, of a track leading to the top of the saine, a car adapted to travel on the track for conveying and delivering material to the furnace, a plurality of tracks intersecting thc first-named track and terminating in charging-stations, lorries traveling on said plurality of tracks and adapted to deliver the material directly to the car.

5. The combination with a furnace, of a skip having a receptacle, a closure for the lower endof thelatter, a horizontal verticallymovable supporting-lever carried by the rcceptacle, connections between the lever and closure, and an abutment sustained above the furnace in position to override the horizontal supporting-levei' and positively depress the same and open the closure when the skip a1'- rives in position to discharge its load into the furnace.

6. In combination with a furnace, a track leading to the top of the same, a. car traveling on the track, an equalizing-bar jointed to the car, a pair of hoisting-cables operatively connected with the cqualizing-bar, and means for operating the cables.

IOO

7. Incomhination with a furnace, a trackv In testimony whereoic I hereunto set my leading to the top of the same, a cartraveling hand, this 14th day of April, 1904, in the preson the track, a horizontal equaliZing-bar piv# ence 0i' two attesting witnesses.

oteol between its ends on a Vertical axis to the y DAVID BAKER. 5 rear end of the car, hoisting-cables connected Witnesses:

with the ends of said bar respectively, andv J. L. POULTNEY,

means for operating the cables. n Y L. B. MORRIS. 

